The top 10 Latin American footballers of 2012

January 02, 2013

If one thing is sure, it's that there can be no top 10 Latin American footballers of 2012 without Lionel Messi. The Argentine has had an outstanding year and leads the way in almost every world ranking. Behind him is a group of players ranked and analysed below:

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina). The world's best player! After a number of years dazzling with his ability to take on opponents and beat goalkeepers, 2012 has been his best year yet. He's set unbreakable records: 50 goals in a single league season and 90 in a single calendar year. Plus he's only 25 years old.

2. Radamel Falcao (Colombia). The in-form striker of the moment! He's the undisputed leader in both Atlético de Madrid and the Colombian national team. In 2012 he won the Europa League, crushed Chelsea in the European Super Cup and proved that he's as good as the best. He's aiming for the top.

3. Sergio Agüero (Argentina). He adapted to English football at the speed of light and played a key part during Manchester City's title-winning season. He scored 23 goals in the Premier League proving that he is one of the world's most prolific goalscorers.

4. Arturo Vidal (Chile). He's the complete midfielder and the star of a resurgent Juventus. He arrived at the Turin club from Bayer Leverkusen and won both the Serie A title as well as the hearts of the club's fans in his first season. At 25 years old he's still developing as a player at a club perfectly poised for him to triumph in Europe.

5. Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina): He could walk into any team. Despite fierce competition at both Real Madrid and in the Argentina national team, Higuaín continues to prove that he is world-class, despite sometimes being in the shadow of Messi, Ronaldo or Agüero. During the record-breaking 100 points and 121 goals last season, he scored 23 goals with 10 assists, but only played half as many minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo.

6. Oribe Peralta (Mexico). Mexico's 'golden boy'! At 28 years old, he's found success without moving to Europe. He won the Mexican league in 2012 with Santos Laguna and was crowned Olympic champion with Mexico two months later. He scored two goals in the London final against Neymar's Brazil.

7. Edinson Cavani (Uruguay). Making your mark where Maradona did is no mean feat. The Uruguayan hotshot won the Copa de Italia with Naples before narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot. He's the top goalscorer in Serie-A.

8. Jackson Martínez (Colombia). This superb striker has been the unexpected revelation of the season in Europe. He signed for Porto from Jaguares de Chiapas (Mexico) and in less than five months has made fans forget his fellow countryman Falcao and Brazilian Hulk. He forms an outstanding Colombian connection with James Rodríguez.

9. Juan Arango (Venezuela). An outstanding midfielder with a phenomenal left foot who improves year upon year! He proves this in every game he plays with both the Venezuelan national team and Borussia Mönchengladbach where he has taken on a more offensive role, contributing with his shots, volleys and assists. His challenge is to play at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

10. Carlos Saucedo (Bolivia). This humble San José de Oruro striker deserves a place on this list for what he achieved in 2012. He was the top goalscorer of any South American league with 40 goals in 43 matches. He's 33 years old.